Zimpapers Logo

Morgan Tsvangirai

Last week, as we noted that MDC-T vice president Nelson Chamisa had just turned 40, the age where life supposedly begins, we cautioned him that he was not going to have it easy and stroll in the park of life and politics.

In fact, at 40, he had just entered a treacherous period of his life which the gods have just, but complicated by throwing him in a fierce political den that is the MDC-T. The party is locked in a bitter war to succeed Morgan Tsvangirai who is gravely ill in South Africa where he is bedridden.

So dire is Tsvangirai’s state of physical health that the worst is being feared and people — our typical African people — are fighting over his ailing body in seeking to inherit his position of leadership, his legacy, his property and probably his wife.

We are hypocrites, African hypocrites. When these things take place next door, we feign disgust and mortification. However, when the situation develops at our doorsteps, we quickly develop the worst inclinations and proclivities. Our greed, our passions, our jealousies and our lusts rear their ugly heads.

People fight and kill each other. They use axes, machetes, and spears — whatever base instruments at their disposal — as if to underline the rawness of the passion, the greed, the jealousies and lusts.

That is what informed the age old wisdom that the wealth of inheritance is dangerous and full of blood. Tsvangirai is not dead. His condition is bad, very bad, though and this is exciting all sorts of passions in the MDC-T.

Elias Mudzuri

The party is split into three: those for Chamisa; those behind Elias Mudzuri and those rallying for Thokozani Khupe. At the moment, the battle seems to be between Chamisa and Mudzuri.

Both are claiming that they are acting presidents — and acting presidents until Tsvangirai returns home. Yes, that is a caveat: Tsvangirai may never return and whoever will be acting will have significant power of incumbency in the case of Tsvangirai’s demise. We were amused at the social media wars yesterday.

Chamisa telling us that as acting president he had “reset” and worked with the party to ensure it is ready for the elections. Mudzuri telling the world that he has been anointed by the bedridden Tsvangirai to act indefinitely.

Mudzuri has been so desperate and dogged that he budged into Tsvangirai’s sickroom to get that affirmation that he is the rightful heir. We are not sure though that Tsvangirai told him so — or actually has the compos mentis. But we saw Mudzuri on SABC. He was emphatic that it was him and him alone.

Until Tsvangirai returned. Then you have Tsvangirai’s own family — they are no small players in the game. There is a Collins. There is a Manase. There is Tsvangirai’s eldest son, Edwin.

Nelson Chamisa

And yes, we also have Edwin’s wife and we had the rare sight of the muroora seeking to sway matters before the world. She somewhat contradicted what Mudzuri had told us and what Edwin had told us. According to her Tsvangirai would only speak through Edwin. She was emphatic on that.

And boy, she also has a sweet voice! On the other side of the river Limpopo, we understand that Tsvangirai can only speak through a Luke Tamborinyoka — his spokesman and director of information in the party.

It was Luke who told us a few days ago that Tsvangirai had passed the temporary guard from Mudzuri to Chamisa. And Luke is as adamant. His statement to the Press and social media two days ago was fiery and defiant. He told us that he remained “President Tsvangirai’s official voice”.

“There has been needless furore over my statement communicating president Tsvangirai’s position that vice president Hon Nelson Chamisa is now the acting president. For the record, I have been communicating the president’s messages for almost a decade. He has entrusted me with the position of being his official spokesperson and he has shared with me many confidential matters; some for the press and some not for the press. That has been the nature of our relationship . . .

Thokozani Khupe

“I want to place it on record that I am the official spokesperson of the president and what I place on the market are his views as instructed personally by him. That position has not changed . . .

“I wish to state that the stampede in the cockpit is needless and unnecessary. The president remains unwell, but is stable. Our behaviour and deportment in these trying moments for our president must enhance the towering brand of Morgan Tsvangirai and not seek to undermine it.

“Unfortunately, this needless stampede by political vultures is disrespectful of his wife and family as well as the towering edifice of brand Tsvangirai that has inspired Zimbabweans over the years.”

Luke is fighting in the corner of Chamisa. He told us that Chamisa had already assumed duties and met the parliamentary caucus. We can credit him for having told us a couple of weeks back that whatever statements that came not from his mouth and office were black market and illegal. He is increasingly occupying a strategic position in these fights. There is a strong personal bond between Chamisa and Luke — which we highlighted here a few weeks back.

They will go down fighting together. Chamisa himself is growing confident by the day and is throwing his modesty and piety to the wind. He is talking war. It is well that the violent Youth Assembly is falling behind him.

Very soon we will see blood on the floor. And very soon could be the moment when Mudzuri, buoyed by his visit to South Africa where he purportedly parleyed with Tsvangirai, will attempt to direct proceedings from Harvest House.

We all know what happens at that battleground called Harvest House: A harvest of blows and kicks. It is a house of violence and whoever controls the goons that secure the party headquarters will win the day.

Nelson Mandela Avenue in Harare, will be the place to watch. The violent confrontation will be a precursor to the complete breakdown of the party. A decay and disintegration.

It is unravelling fast. There are interesting plots and sub-plots. It also remains to be seen and indeed established, why Nelson Chamisa is also being barred from seeing Tsvangirai — the same treatment that is being suffered by Tsvangirai’s wife, Elizabeth.

It’s complex and its dirty.

It’s politics.

Much worse, it may be the beginning of the end for the MDC as we know it.